Mostafa Elbrolosy/CatersA pink baby elephant discovered in Kenya is thriving in the wild, despite all the odds being against the little creature because of its skin pigmentation.
The ‘very rare’ pink elephant was born in the Maasai Mara Nature Reserve in Kenya in April, and has been going from strength to strength ever since.
It was caught on camera in a series of beautiful pictures by wildlife photographer Mostafa Elbrolosy, who spotted the baby because of its unusual pink skin colour.
Check out footage of the rare creature here:
Elbrolosy, who works as a ranger at a safari camp, said he had heard of the birth of the baby elephant, but was taken aback when he saw the beautiful creature for himself.
He said:
It was a rare sighting.
Rare creatures are always the most attractive for any wildlife photographer, and getting the chance to watch and photograph it was like a dream.
As I live in the Maasai Mara running my cosy camp here, I got the news over the radio of a female elephant giving birth to an albino baby.
I finished my job, packed my camera and went looking for it with one of our guides.
We got the surprise in the afternoon after quite a long time of searching – very few people had come to see it as no one expected it to be an albino [baby].
I was very lucky to get the chance to see and photograph this extremely rare baby.
Mostafa Elbrolosy/CatersHe went on to say although the newborn calf was extremely rare, it was thriving in the wild in spite of factors like the harsh sunlight.
Elbrolosy added:
He was surrounded and very well protected by the herd, trying to feed from the mum and walk with her.
He was just eight hours old. We were thrilled to see such an amazing sight.
It’s believed the elephant was born with albinism, which is caused by a lack of pigment in the skin and usually results in pale dermatological layers, as well as unpigmented, pink eyes.
Mostafa Elbrolosy/CatersUnfortunately for the baby, the condition can cause poor eyesight and can lead to blindness later in life.
Albino elephants can often be rejected by their own species due to their unusual appearance, so it’s amazing to hear the herd of elephants are still protecting the rare creature.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.